Eight of 10 freed Pinoy seafarers from pirate-seized ship home

Eight of 10 Filipino seafarers serving on a vessel that was hijacked by pirates and eventually freed by commandos finally arrived home Wednesday. The sailors were both happy and sad – happy to be home but sad that two of their companions died during the ordeal, according to a report on radio dzBB early Thursday. Officials, including those from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration , were on hand to welcome the seafarers back home, the report said. According to the OWWA, the families of the two deceased seafarers, Zeron Monzon and Stephen Barbarona - may receive P220,000 in insurance. Monzon and Barbarona's families are also entitled to benefits from their manning agency, the report added. Barbarona suffocated from the heavy smoke in the engine room of the vessel where he hid during the encounter. Monzon died after he was shot in the head during the encounter between the Somali pirates and the commandos. The survivors who returned home included Napoleon Flores, Reynante Lumaad, Diosdado Jancinal III, Vicente Bucash Jr., Rolando Abare Jr., Ronel Esclares, Noel Sanchez, and Rowell Tabag. Investigation showed the 10 seamen were part of the 23-member crew of the Bolivian-flagged MV Eglantine, which pirates seized in late March but which commandos stormed. Earlier reports showed pirates seized the Eglantine 305 nautical miles northwest of the Maldivian capital of Male in the early hours of March 26. The 12-year-old bulker is owned by Andulena Corp of Teheran while her registered manager is the Tehran-based Rahbaran Omid Darya. — LBG, GMA News